


Snow Day

by Tyloric



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, I take canon and punch it in the face
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 16:17:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyloric/pseuds/Tyloric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint had exactly one friend during his time at the circus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

> So, I saw Rise of the Guardians today. And then this happened.
> 
> ...I'm so sorry.
> 
> Not proofread. Grammar Nazis may end up wanting to shoot themselves in the face.

It was snowing, which, under normal circumstances, Clint had no problem with. He liked snow, loved it even. Winter was his favorite time of year. No, the real problem was where it was snowing. Specifically, in his bedroom.  
  
Bizarre; there was no other way to put it. There Clint was, in his jammies (yes, he still calls them that. Don’t judge.) sitting up in bed just watching as the blue-tinted flakes drifted from the ceiling to his floor. It had been the cold that had waken him, as he had been so cozy just a few moments ago.  
  
Clint wasn’t alarmed though. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, after all. Admittedly, this was the first time in more than a decade, but still. His brain was a little slow on the uptake as Clint had just woken up after all, and the clock on his nightstand said it was just after two in the morning.  
  
But then his brain did catch up and suddenly Clint was grinning ear to ear. Throwing back the covers, he rushed out the door to the communal kitchen area of Stark tower and onto the balcony.   
  
“Hey there,” came a familiar voice above him. Clint looked up, and there he was: Jack Frost. Blue hoodie that looks like it’s made of ice, piercing blue eyes and snow white hair, exactly like Clint remembered. Jack was in the sitting position looking down at him, floating in the air.  
  
“Hey, stranger,” Clint says, smiling broadly. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”  
  
Jack winces, looking apologetic. “Yeah, sorry about that. Been busy.” He floats down to Clint’s level, hovering over the edge of the balcony.  
  
“Protecting the kiddies that hard a job?” Clint teases.  
  
Jack smirks. “Yeah. They’re all about as needy as you were.” His face settles into an easy smile. “How ya been, Clint?”  
  
Clint sits down on one of the beach recliners Tony likes to keep around outside. “Oh, you know...” He looks a little crestfallen.   
  
“I heard about all the trouble,” Jack says softly. “I’m sorry.”  
  
At that, Clint can’t help but feel a little bitter. “Where were you guys, anyway? I know you must have seen me as a mind controlled zombie, right?” Jack’s eyes dart away guiltily. “Why didn’t you help? Maybe you could have-” Clint hesitates, not sure how to continue. “Maybe you could have stopped me.”  
  
Jack doesn’t say anything, letting the silence stretch on for a while. He gathers a bit of magic in his palms, giving it shape until it looks like a glittering blue snowball, and with a flick of his wrist it goes shooting up into the sky. Clint is watching him with what seems like guarded interest, but on the inside he’s screaming, That is just so cool. A few minutes later snow starts to drift down, blanketing the city.  
  
“I wanted to help,” Jack said finally. “I really did.”  
  
“The why didn’t you?” Clint asks a bit sadly.   
  
Jack pointed up at the moon. “The big guy said to stay away. We’re not allowed to involve ourselves in things that threaten this side of things. We’re Guardians. We protect dreams.”  
  
Clint didn’t say anything for a long moment. “When I first saw you the night Barney ran away, I thought that I had finally snapped. All those years of being a punching bag had finally broken my head.” He took a deep breath of the cool air before continuing. “And you told me not to worry, that you had my back. You said you were my friend, and I kept waiting for you to show up, and you would. Whenever I need you, you were there. You helped me get through the hell that was Carson’s. And then when I turned seventeen you were just... gone.” He laughs bitterly. “God, listen to me. It’s like I’m twelve all over again.”  
  
The Guardian drifts over to sit next to Clint so that their shoulders are touching. “I left because you didn’t need me anymore. You were strong. I knew you could get through anything. Was I wrong? No, don’t answer that. I’m never wrong.”  
  
Clint snorts. “So why are you here now?”  
  
“Cause you need a friend now.” And despite the cold, Clint feels his bitterness melt away. “Can’t stay, though. Snow day, after all.”  
  
Clint laughs. “Yeah.”  
  
Jack starts to float away, a light breeze moving to pick pick him up. “I never stopped watching, Clint. You may not see me, but I’m there.”   
  
Clint nods, pressing his palm against heart. “In here, right?”   
  
“Now you’re catching on.” The wind turned into a great gust, and Jack shot upwards, yelling with glee. Clint watched him go, smiling broadly.


End file.
